The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) has been a leader in raising awareness about Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and has and continues to work helping to improve the quality of life of those with CF. The CFF has been in pursuit for a cure for CF since 1955 when the foundation first opened its doors and still remains an authority on issues that surround CF today.
The CFF, in its ongoing effort to improve the quality and functionality of newborn screening, announces the launch of a Screening Improvement Program for Optimizing the Diagnosis of Infants. The CFF releases a request for applications (RFA) for Quality Improvement awards to leaders in the U.S. programs who are interested in projects geared towards improving their region’s Newborn Screening system as it relates to diagnosis, evaluation and early clinical monitoring.
For Researchers: Please see the full RFA, Screening Improvement Program (SIP) for Optimizing the Diagnosis of Infants, and the CFF website for additional information. Another excellent resource for researchers is The Virtual Repository of Dried Bloods (VRDBS).  The VRDBS is available for researchers that are interested in using dried blood spots (DBS) for research. Researchers can search available DBS, including DBS with a CF diagnosis, and request DBS from participating state newborn screening programs.
For Parents: Learn more about newborn screening and Research through the NBSTRN Parent section. Baby’s First Test also provides excellent educational information about newborn screening how it affects families.Â